Random angle grain boundary formation and evolution dynamics during Si directional solidification

Abstract The growth of multicrystalline silicon and the formation of a random angle grain boundary, as well as the dislocation generation and expansion is observed dynamically in situ, by Synchrotron X-ray imaging techniques. The focus is kept on a random angle grain boundary since its behavior is particularly important to better understand the HP mc-Si (High Performance Multi-crystalline Silicon) photovoltaic properties. Due to the process conditions and to the grain competition that occurs during the solidification, a facetted {111}/facetted {111} groove is formed by this random angle grain boundary at the solid/liquid interface. It is shown how the shape of the solid/liquid interface allows the change of the preferential {111} growth facet and affects the grain boundary propagation direction. In one of the groove configurations, the two adjacent {111} facets do not have the same growth velocity and as a consequence the corresponding grain boundary does not follow the bisector of the angle between the two facets. Indeed, the direction of the grain boundary is determined by the growth velocities of the facets which control the grain competition. Moreover, under these experimental conditions a clear relationship is observed between the existence of random angle grain boundaries and the local generation of dislocations as well as their expansion. By comparison, dislocation emission is not observed at the level of Σ3 {111} grain boundaries.